Rikimaru (8)
“N-no, nooo. Aaahhh!”
Naruhito screamed and frantically backed away.
What? Why?
I had no idea what was happening.
“Naruhito...?”
The more I reached out to him, the worse his panic grew.
As I stood confused at the door, I saw Prince Hiiro rushing up the stairs.
The sheer intensity of his aura froze me in place.
He was furious.
“Hiiro!!”
That was my older brother’s shout. As Prince Hiiro hesitated for a moment, my brother caught up to him and wrapped his arms around him from behind.
“Hiiro, take care of Naruhito. Leave Rikimaru to me.”
I could tell that my brother was using a lot of strength, restraining the prince’s actions. A vein throbbed visibly on Prince Hiiro's temple.
“Breathe deeply. Come on, let’s go to Naruhito.”
My brother, still holding onto Prince Hiiro, guided him into the room.
I could only stand frozen in place.
From the open door, I could see into the room. Naruhito was curled up on the carpet, groaning. Sweat was dripping from his face, his brows furrowed in deep anguish. He seemed to be holding back his voice, biting his lip so hard that blood was seeping out.
What on earth had happened...?
Even though they were in the room, neither Prince Hiiro nor my brother approached Naruhito. They just stood there, watching him from a distance.
Why weren’t they doing anything? If they didn’t stop him soon, he’d end up injuring himself even worse, and then he wouldn’t be able to eat because of the wounds on his lips.
I acted without thinking. I rushed into the room, heading straight for Naruhito, and reached out to touch him.
“N, no-noonooo, aaaahhh!”
The moment Naruhito’s piercing scream echoed through the room, I was sent flying by a punch from my brother.
With my vision swimming, I quickly assessed the situation. My brother had just been struck by Prince Hiiro and had collapsed to his knees.
“Ugh... ugh...”
I heard Naruhito groaning again, and when I looked over, I saw him shoving his right hand into his mouth to muffle his cries.
Now he was biting down so hard that his hand was bleeding.
Why...?
When I looked at Prince Hiiro, he was standing there, fists clenched, staring at Naruhito. Blood was dripping from his own hands.
My brother, having recovered, gently patted the prince’s hands, trying to calm his ragged breathing.
“Rikimaru. There won’t be a second chance. Ignorance is a sin.”
My brother’s voice was low. I realized that I had only survived because he had hit me first, holding back just enough...
Naruhito's muffled groans continued. It was a heart-wrenching, painful sound that tore at me.
I finally understood—I wasn’t supposed to touch him.
So, this is how it ends?
I couldn’t even help him with his bloodied lips or his injured right hand. I couldn’t shake him back to his senses. I couldn’t wipe away his cold sweat, and I didn’t even know what was causing his suffering.
All I could do was stand here, far away, listening to his anguished cries.
Just listening...?
I...
I must have done something.
Something that made Naruhito suffer this much.
Ignorance was a sin.
For what felt like an eternity, I just watched Naruhito suffer. I just listened.
It was the worst time of my life, even though it had been so short.
What do you think about this chapter?
